If necessary, you can review the the IPlan Assignment sheet here. Complete the process shown in the diagram below by following the steps and answering the questions for each step.
a. Take a few minutes to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher.
My thoughts so far in student teaching is that I have both strengths and weaknesses as all teachers do. I think that my strengths have come from good planning and a lot of effort put into making the lessons suitable and interesting for all my students. Much of my effort has gone into creating lessons that adhere to students interests and getting the students up and involved in the material, rather than passive learners. Another strength I have found that the students respond well to is the fact that I care about the knowledge that each student is gaining and make sure to give the students individual attention to monitor their progress along with my progress in the subject. A weakness I have felt so far is not being able to communicate my ideas as clearly as I would like to. I have noticed that when I give directions some of the students give me confused looks. I do recognize this and am currently trying to be more clear and detailed in my directions, along with explaining the directions in a way that will relate to my students.
b. Describe some of your students' strengths and needs that you have noticed so far.
I have noticed that my students as a whole have extremely varied abilities and motivations, creating an interesting challenge. Some students seem to completely understand the material, while others have never heard of it before. Aside from the content material, many students are not completely competent in reading comprehension. I do not have the students read from the text very often, but when they are reading from any resources, many of them seem completely baffled. This proves what the education department taught us, that all classes are reading classes. Students also seem to struggle with their writing. So far the students have only had to write short answers maximum, but many of them struggle to form complete and logical sentences. Many students also seem to lack motivation, this is the most troubling need that I have noticed because it will do them nothing but disservices in the future.
On the other hand there are many students who show great strengths and motivation. I have noticed that many students are very good at relating content in one subject to content in another, or to their out-of-school life. I belief that this is a great strength for them, because it will help them understand information and retain information along with valuable life skills.
c. Download and complete this URI Self Evaluation form based on one of the lessons you taught last week. Be sure to write down specific evidence from either your lesson plan or your memory of your enactment for each assessment you give. Use a highlighter to identify areas of your teaching/lesson that were either below standard or that you feel needs improvement.
a. Review your school improvement document(s). (If you forgot them, download a SALT visit.)
b. Synthesize your review by completing the following table as best your can:
What is the need?
How will improvement help your students?
How will improvement help your school?
RIBT Standard/Element Addressed?
1.
Measurable Reading Goals
Students will gain the knowledge of reading comprehension that can be applied in every subject. Students will be monitored on their progress and helped accordingly.
Teachers will incorporate reading comprehension in each subject area, and reading comprehension will be a common goal for the school
1.3, 3.1, 4.2, 6.7, 7all
2.
Use of available technologies
Students will be more able to incorporate today's real-world (technology) into their education
The school already has the technologies, teachers/administration can implement these resources into lessons. In the public, schools are often judged on their use of technologies, this will help the overall reputation of the school, and may even grant further funding.
10.3, 8.1,8.2,8.3
3.
Clear and Common expectations
According to the SALT survey, students do not feel that they have this, with it, students will feel as though the school is supporting them as one,rather than different expectations from each teacher. Students will be more likely to achieve/pass expectations if they know what they are.
Implementing common expectations throughout the school will allow the teachers to work collaboratively with each other, parents and administrators. This will reduce confusion students may have and express.
6.7, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 10.1, 10.3, 11.1
4.
Advisory
System
Students are starting to become more independent, however they still need the guidance of adults. Advisory can help students with their needs outside of content in the school. Students' future and social/emotional well being can be monitored, if not discussed.
The school will have a sense of caring and involvement with the quality of the students' lives. No students will "fall through the cracks". Advisers can help students with issues before they become problems that really impact the students negatively.
3.1, 3.2, 6.2, 7all
Formulate a professional development goal based the needs that you have identified. This goal should be:
measurable/observable
should lead to improvement of teaching, student achievement, and/or improvement of learning environment.
should describe new knowledge or skills that you will acquire and how that knowledge/skill will affect the school/district setting.
linked to applicable Rhode Island Beginning Teacher Standards and elements, e.g. RIBTS 2.4.
In the space below, describe your professional development goal. In a second paragraph, use the information above to provide a rationale for your goal by explaining the personal need that it will address as well as how addressing this goal benefits your students and your school.
I. Professional Development Goal
My Professional Development Goal is to express more clear expectations to my students. This goal not only addresses the SALT survey findings, but addresses a weakness that I have found in my own teaching thus far. Part of my weakness here will improve over-time with my comfort level in the classroom, and practice explaining my thoughts clearly to the class. Although I believe that practice and experience will help me, I need to be pro-active in my efforts to improve expressing my expectations to my students.
As the RIBTS 10 says "Teachers reflect on their practice and assume responsibility for their own professional development by actively seeking opportunities to learn and grow as professionals." I will attain feedback from my students about their understanding of my expectations. I have found that simply asking students if they understand is not always reliable. Students tend to just nod, however I plan to use other methods to discover whether or not students are understanding my expectations. I have used a rubric in the past, that was handed out and explained ahead of time, however I think that if students were to complete the rubric themselves as a self evaluation, I would be able to gauge whether or not they are understanding expectations. I will have students complete the rubric and write a brief explanation of why they are "grading" themselves in this way.
At the Middle School age, parents/guardians are still (and should be) very much involved. As RIBTS 7 says, I will foster a collaborative relationship with the parents/guardians of the students. The complete assignment and rubric will be posted online. This will allow parents/guardians to review the expectations with the students and hopefully share my view of having the highest expectations for each students, whether they need higher level work or accommodations.
Now that you have a PD goal, think about what type of learning opportunities you will participate in to address your needs. Use these links to investigate learning options:
Based on what you have found out, write a 1-2 paragraph narrative outlining at least two ways (PD categories) you will engage in engage in by the end of your first year of teaching. For each activity, explain how you think it will address the need that you have identified.
II. Professional Development Plan
One way in which I will address the needs of the school is to incorporate technology in my lessons. Not only do I believe technology is imperative in students' education today, but I believe that many students thrive on the integration of technology and will become more interested in the lessons with it. In the near future I will have students explore technological methods that scientists use in measurement of, specifically, volcanoes and earthquakes. Students will be able to use the instruments that scientists use and plot the data in the computer to generate their own graphs and predictions.
Another way I plan on addressing the needs of the school according to the SALT survey is addressing reading comprehension. When I have the students read from various resources, I will scaffold the reading to foster a good method of reading comprehension. I will also obtain written resources that best suit individuals reading comprehension levels, that cover the necessary material. I think that for many students the sheer volume of reading material deters them from the get-go. I will create reasonable assignments and scaffold the material in a way that breaks down the information into logical categories that will promote the connection to previous knowledge.
Print your PD plan to PDF
Post your PD Plan to True Outcomes
Return to True Outcomes to evaluate a peer's plan the following week.
EDC 484 IPlan Synthesis
If necessary, you can review the the IPlan Assignment sheet here. Complete the process shown in the diagram below by following the steps and answering the questions for each step.
You can review the Rhode Island Beginning Teacher Standards (RIBTs) here.
a. Take a few minutes to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher.
My thoughts so far in student teaching is that I have both strengths and weaknesses as all teachers do. I think that my strengths have come from good planning and a lot of effort put into making the lessons suitable and interesting for all my students. Much of my effort has gone into creating lessons that adhere to students interests and getting the students up and involved in the material, rather than passive learners. Another strength I have found that the students respond well to is the fact that I care about the knowledge that each student is gaining and make sure to give the students individual attention to monitor their progress along with my progress in the subject. A weakness I have felt so far is not being able to communicate my ideas as clearly as I would like to. I have noticed that when I give directions some of the students give me confused looks. I do recognize this and am currently trying to be more clear and detailed in my directions, along with explaining the directions in a way that will relate to my students.
b. Describe some of your students' strengths and needs that you have noticed so far.
I have noticed that my students as a whole have extremely varied abilities and motivations, creating an interesting challenge. Some students seem to completely understand the material, while others have never heard of it before. Aside from the content material, many students are not completely competent in reading comprehension. I do not have the students read from the text very often, but when they are reading from any resources, many of them seem completely baffled. This proves what the education department taught us, that all classes are reading classes. Students also seem to struggle with their writing. So far the students have only had to write short answers maximum, but many of them struggle to form complete and logical sentences. Many students also seem to lack motivation, this is the most troubling need that I have noticed because it will do them nothing but disservices in the future.
On the other hand there are many students who show great strengths and motivation. I have noticed that many students are very good at relating content in one subject to content in another, or to their out-of-school life. I belief that this is a great strength for them, because it will help them understand information and retain information along with valuable life skills.
c. Download and complete this URI Self Evaluation form based on one of the lessons you taught last week. Be sure to write down specific evidence from either your lesson plan or your memory of your enactment for each assessment you give. Use a highlighter to identify areas of your teaching/lesson that were either below standard or that you feel needs improvement.
a. Review your school improvement document(s). (If you forgot them, download a SALT visit.)
b. Synthesize your review by completing the following table as best your can:
System
Formulate a professional development goal based the needs that you have identified. This goal should be:
In the space below, describe your professional development goal. In a second paragraph, use the information above to provide a rationale for your goal by explaining the personal need that it will address as well as how addressing this goal benefits your students and your school.
I. Professional Development Goal
My Professional Development Goal is to express more clear expectations to my students. This goal not only addresses the SALT survey findings, but addresses a weakness that I have found in my own teaching thus far. Part of my weakness here will improve over-time with my comfort level in the classroom, and practice explaining my thoughts clearly to the class. Although I believe that practice and experience will help me, I need to be pro-active in my efforts to improve expressing my expectations to my students.
As the RIBTS 10 says "Teachers reflect on their practice and assume responsibility for their own professional development by actively seeking opportunities to learn and grow as professionals." I will attain feedback from my students about their understanding of my expectations. I have found that simply asking students if they understand is not always reliable. Students tend to just nod, however I plan to use other methods to discover whether or not students are understanding my expectations. I have used a rubric in the past, that was handed out and explained ahead of time, however I think that if students were to complete the rubric themselves as a self evaluation, I would be able to gauge whether or not they are understanding expectations. I will have students complete the rubric and write a brief explanation of why they are "grading" themselves in this way.
At the Middle School age, parents/guardians are still (and should be) very much involved. As RIBTS 7 says, I will foster a collaborative relationship with the parents/guardians of the students. The complete assignment and rubric will be posted online. This will allow parents/guardians to review the expectations with the students and hopefully share my view of having the highest expectations for each students, whether they need higher level work or accommodations.
Now that you have a PD goal, think about what type of learning opportunities you will participate in to address your needs. Use these links to investigate learning options:
Based on what you have found out, write a 1-2 paragraph narrative outlining at least two ways (PD categories) you will engage in engage in by the end of your first year of teaching. For each activity, explain how you think it will address the need that you have identified.
II. Professional Development Plan
One way in which I will address the needs of the school is to incorporate technology in my lessons. Not only do I believe technology is imperative in students' education today, but I believe that many students thrive on the integration of technology and will become more interested in the lessons with it. In the near future I will have students explore technological methods that scientists use in measurement of, specifically, volcanoes and earthquakes. Students will be able to use the instruments that scientists use and plot the data in the computer to generate their own graphs and predictions.Another way I plan on addressing the needs of the school according to the SALT survey is addressing reading comprehension. When I have the students read from various resources, I will scaffold the reading to foster a good method of reading comprehension. I will also obtain written resources that best suit individuals reading comprehension levels, that cover the necessary material. I think that for many students the sheer volume of reading material deters them from the get-go. I will create reasonable assignments and scaffold the material in a way that breaks down the information into logical categories that will promote the connection to previous knowledge.